


little lionheart

by RainbowRandomness



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Childhood, Gen, Magic, based on art
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-22
Updated: 2017-01-22
Packaged: 2018-09-19 07:25:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9425603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RainbowRandomness/pseuds/RainbowRandomness
Summary: “Mummy,” Merlin whispered, the small flame beginning to dwindle, “I’m not a monster, am I?”





	

**Author's Note:**

> prompt found [here](http://whimsycatcher.tumblr.com/post/112994328318)
> 
> a short lil fic, something I rarely do, but I wrote this back in June 2015 hoping to expand it and write about Merlin growing up still having this thought in the back of his head. obviously I never wrote further so after uncovering this, I thought I might as well post it how I left it.
> 
> I might continue this, although I won't promise anything. I just like the idea of Merlin growing up with this vulnerability and think it'd be interesting to explore, but who knows, I'm not that good a writer.
> 
> anyway, even though this is a short lil thing, I hope you enjoy it regardless.

The night Hunith found Merlin hugging his knees in the corner of his room, she paused in the doorway, watching the small flicker of fire hovering above her son’s outstretched hand. She couldn’t see his face from where she stood, her son’s back turned to her, but his shoulders were stiff, his body curled so protectively around himself it was as if he was trying to cease existing all together, to become invisible and forgotten in the corner of his small bedroom.

“Merlin?” she called softly, stepping into the room and gently pushing the door to almost shut it behind her, “Merlin, sweetie, what’s wrong?”

As she stepped forward, closer to her huddled little boy in the corner, she noticed him flinch ever so slightly, the arm wrapped around his knees tightening just a bit. The fire flickered gently but was otherwise undisturbed as it continued to cast a dim glow above Merlin’s palm.

“The boys saw me use my magic,” Merlin replied quietly, barely above a whisper, and Hunith knelt down beside her son on the cold ground, leaning close to hear her boy speak. She watched Merlin’s irises swim with gold, eyes trained on the flickering fire he was controlling with the use of magic she could barely comprehend and wondered, not for the first time, if her little boy was truly safe in their little village.

Hunith braced her hand against the ground and leaned her weight onto it, her body angled towards Merlin. Like this, she could rest her head against the top of his and she did so, trying to comfort her little boy the best she could.

It was quite for a while, both of them watching the flame dancing above Merlin’s hand, and then Hunith heard Merlin’s soft voice as he began to talk.

“Mummy,” Merlin whispered, the small flame beginning to dwindle, “I’m not a monster, am I?”

Hunith’s heart broke at the question and as the flames of the fire flickered out of existence, she pulled Merlin to her, dragging his tiny frame into her lap as her arms embraced him tightly. She felt his hands, so small and yet they carried so much power, grab at her dress and hold on tightly while he buried his face into her shoulder. She rocked him gently, her hand absently raking through his hair as she hushed away his sobs that racked through his body.

It was a while before Merlin began to settle down and Hunith continued to hold him close as she waited for his quite sobs to subside and his laboured breathes became the telltale deep breathes of a child asleep. Still, she held him for a while longer, her hand cradling the back of his head while lightly moving in circular patterns through his dark mess of hair, her face resting atop his head. It wasn’t until much later that she finally lifted herself from the ground, her legs numb from sitting so long, and placed Merlin into his bed. Tear tracks stained his cheeks and she smoothed them away with a swipe of her thumbs across his soft skin before she bent down and kissed his forehead, lingering for a moment before pulling away and leaving to retire to her own bed for the night.

But although it was late, and although she was tired, she couldn’t shake away the question her poor baby had asked her and the words dug into her mind and kept her up throughout the night.

“ _I’m not a **monster** , am I?_”

**Author's Note:**

> come follow me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/RainbowRandoms) and [tumblr](http://rainbow-randomness.tumblr.com/)
> 
> I do not give permission to have any of my works put up on goodreads or any other such site.


End file.
